Small Italian island overrun by goats offers to give them away for free but there's a catch

Alicudi is a remote and picturesque island in the Aeolian Islands of Italy. The small agricultural island, which has always been famous for sailboats, has recently been in the news for an oddly quirky reason. The town has a population of 100 people and usually around 100 goats. But the goat population has exploded. Overwhelmed by the count of goats, the Mayor of Alicudi, Riccardo Gullo, has now decided to give away the goats for free, as reported by CNN. But there's a catch. 

Alicudi is a two to three-hour boat ride from mainland Sicily and falls under the administration of the larger island of Lipari. In a recent census, it was estimated that the number of goats on the island was six times the island’s year-round population of 100. For years, these goats grazed on Alicudi’s cliffs autonomously. These were also featured in almost all postcards from the island. However, left on their own, these animals reproduced at an astonishing rate. While once these goats lived harmoniously alongside the human inhabitants, they have now become a nuisance for the island's residents.

The number of goats has grown rapidly in recent years, and they've started to gravitate from their usual abode at the top of the island towards the inhabited area, damaging lush green vegetation, causing havoc in gardens, knocking away portions of stone walls and even wandering into people’s homes, forcing the island authorities to come up with a plan.

Fed up by the rise in the number of goats, Riccardo Gullo worked up a smart idea to get rid of the problem. He introduced the “adopt a goat” scheme for managing the population of goats on the islands. Gullo mentioned that adopters would not require any documentation or legal help to take away the goats. They just have to take the goat off the island. The mayor said, “We absolutely do not want to even consider culling the animals, so we are encouraging the idea of giving them away. Anyone can request a goat, it doesn’t have to be a farmer, and there are no restrictions on numbers,” as per the Guardian.

The deadline for adopting these goats has been set for April 10th, but at the same time, Gullo stressed he would be willing to extend the deadline if required to do so. Talking about the response of the initiative, he responded, “We have already had several phone calls, including from a farmer on Vulcano island who would like to take several goats as, among other things, he produces a ricotta cheese which is much appreciated.

Paolo Lo Cascio, a former councilor, has been calling attention to the problem since 2008. "There needs to be a solution as the threat to the island’s vegetation is serious,” said Lo Cascio, reported The Guardian. “But Alicudi is a very complicated island, first you have to access it and then try to capture all the goats. There should have been an intervention 10 years ago.”

The initiative requires an application fee for people interested in taking up to 50 goats. The interested applicant must email their request to the local authority, and pay a €16 (around $17) stamp fee to make it official. After paying the application fee, the island authorities would then give the candidate 15 days to catch the goats and take them away. 

This article originally appeared on 04.11.24.